Shakin' off the winter's dust.

Hey gang. Long time, no posts from me. I hope all of the usual suspects are still hanging in/out there/here.

Sunday was a gorgeous 70 degrees or so here in Chicawaukee. I got the bike started, I geared up, kissed my wife and said I'd be back "later." She was quite upset she had to stay home with the baby.

So I went to rock it off the center stand and she wouldn't budge (the bike, not the wife). The front brakes were locked up solid. I tried the ol' love taps with a BFH adjuster on the brake cylinders, but it was no joy. They were locked tight. I didn't have the inclination to rip the brakes apart, so I smacked 'em one more time, shut 'er down, took off my gear, and picked up dog crap in the back yard instead. To say I was upset would miss the point entirely.

Today it is 30 degrees and I decided to try 'er again. Much to my surprise, the brakes were somewhat looser - at least I could get the bike off the centerstand this time. There was a definite outline of funk where the brake pads had met the discs, so I don't know if they were rusted together or what.

After pumping the brake lever a few times and rocking the wheel forward and back, it was loose enough that I decided to roll down the driveway and see if it would lock up again. It didn't, so I went for a vary cautious spin around the neighborhood. She was running good, rolling good, and stopping good. About two blocks from my house, I decided to dismount and do a fluid check to see if anything was leaking. It was all clear so I hopped back on, kicked it into gear, and there she died.

The silly interlock switch for the sidestand was stuck closed (or is it open?), so I couldn't get the bike into gear. This has happened a few times before and usually juggling the plunger or whacking the switch with a screwdriver handle fixed it. But my tool kit was back in my garage and jiggling it wasn't fixing it. Did I mention it was 30 degrees out? And I'm bald? It was chilly I debated walking the 2 and a half blocks home but opted to call my lovely wife. At least I had my phone! Yay, she was going to come to my rescue with a proper screwdriver and wiring schematic. She wasn't happy about having to pack up the baby to drive 2 blocks, but she's just that kind of a woman.

The cool thing was that while I waited for her and monkeyed with the switch a bit more, two separate guys stopped and asked if I needed help - one a neighbor that I know and another guy who is a fellow rider and jsut had to ask. Just after I finished chatting with him, I tried the switch one more time, and it worked, so before it changed its mind, I threw on the helmet headed for home.

As I rounded the corner, I heard a throaty growl coming up the street and as I looked in my mirrors, I saw a very familiar pair of headlights on a very familiar frame. As I pulled away from the one stop sign on the way to my house, I waved him up along side me and sure enough, it was another XJ. I waved him into my driveway and we chatted for a bit. Turns out he's got an '82 XJ-750 Seca. He got it last year and put 8k miles on in one season. He lives maybe a quarter mile away from me. Small world. I let him know about the boards here, so maybe he'll be around. Oh, and that throaty growl? 4-into-1 Vance and Hines. I don't think all of the baffles were in that pipe

When I put the bike away, the switch was still being flaky. I'll have to decide which I trust less, it or me, and perhaps bypass the switch. At least she was running good. I call that a good evening.

 

Where abouts Chicawaukee are ya? I'm a few miles from the border if you ever need a hand.

 

Dead center - Zion. 49 Miles from Chicago, 48 from Milwaukee

I appreciate the offer for assistance. Where were you last year when I was rebuilding the carbs, brakes, and forks? LOL

At this point, I think I'm just looking for suggestions - fix or ditch the switch?

 

Just a follow-up, the switch was very easy to get back into working order.

1) Unscrew the switch from the mount.
2) Take of the rubber boot.
3) Spray lubricant of choice* on switch shaft and depress it several times.
4) Observe immediate results in the form of full and quick switch return.
5) Replace boot.
6) Remount switch.

* I used cable lube. Any other suggestions?